The demise of a nonbinary pupil sooner or later after a combat inside of an Oklahoma highschool toilet has resulted in nationwide outcry and White Area condemnation.
Owasso police say the investigation into 16-year-old Nex Benedict’s demise on February 8 is ongoing, with the state scientific examiner’s administrative center ruling it a suicide. Members of the family have stated that their kid was once a sufferer of bullying on the college as a result of Nex recognized as nonbinary, neither male nor feminine. A whole document on Benedict’s demise is scheduled to be launched on March 27.Â
White Area Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the initial post-mortem document from the rostrum at Friday’s press briefing, calling Benedict’s demise “devastating.”Â
“Because the president stated the day prior to this, each younger individual merits to have the basic proper and freedom to be who they’re and really feel secure and supported in class and of their communities,” Jean-Pierre stated. “Bullying is totally unacceptable, and it’s on all people to take experiences of bullying significantly.”Â
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This tale discusses suicide. Should you or somebody you already know is having ideas of suicide, please touch the Suicide & Disaster Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The Benedict circle of relatives launched a observation via an lawyer emphasizing that regardless that Nex’s demise was once dominated a suicide, there are “different pertinent parts of the document” that are meant to now not be “overshadowed by means of the ‘classification’ of Nex’s demise.”Â
“Somewhat than permit incomplete accounts to take cling and unfold to any extent further, the Benedicts really feel pressured to supply a abstract of the ones findings that have now not but been launched by means of the Clinical Examiner’s administrative center, in particular those who contradict allegations of the attack on Nex being insignificant,” the circle of relatives lawyer stated.Â
Main points launched by means of the circle of relatives come with that the teenager suffered non-lethal head and neck trauma, together with contusions, lacerations and abrasions. An Abraded contusion on Nex’s chest was once in keeping with having came about throughout CPR, in step with the portion of the total scientific examiner’s document launched by means of the circle of relatives.Â
“The Benedicts proceed to name on our colleges, directors, lawmakers, and communities to return in combination to forestall every other circle of relatives from having to endure during the heartache now borne by means of Nex’s family members,” the lawyer stated. “Reforms developing college environments which can be constructed upon the pillars of appreciate, inclusion and beauty, and intention to do away with bullying and hate, are the kinds of alternate that every one concerned must be capable to rally at the back of.”Â
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LGBTQ+ advocates have blamed Nex’s demise on gender identity-based bullying and harassment, in addition to “rhetoric and insurance policies” complex by means of Republicans in Oklahoma — comparable to expenses that restrict youngsters from receiving cross-sex hormone remedy or sex-reassignment surgical procedure. They’ve known as for the resignation of Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction, who has stated there are handiest two genders — female and male — and that Oklahoma faculties would now not permit scholars to make use of most popular names or pronouns that vary from their start intercourse.Â
“We need to be transparent, whether or not Nex died as a right away results of accidents sustained within the brutal hate-motivated assault in class or now not, Nex’s demise is a results of being the objective of bodily and emotional hurt on account of who Nex was once,” Freedom Oklahoma, the state’s biggest LGBTQ+ advocacy workforce, stated in a February observation reacting to Benedict’s demise.
“This hurt is basically associated with the rhetoric and insurance policies which can be not unusual on the Oklahoma Legislature, the State Division of Training, and the Governor’s administrative center, in regards to dehumanizing 2STGNC+ other folks,” the crowd stated.
Walters has stated Benedict’s tragic demise has been exploited by means of the left for political functions.Â
“I believe it’s horrible that we’ve had some radical leftists who determined to run with a political time table and take a look at to weave a story that hasn’t been true,” he informed the New York Occasions in an interview in February. “You’ve taken a tragedy, and also you’ve had some people attempt to exploit it for political achieve.”
“We’ve been informed [Benedict’s] demise wasn’t immediately associated with the combat in class,” he added.Â
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The Oklahoma Clinical Examiner’s document stated the teenager died from a mixed overdose of Prozac and Benadryl. The combat within the college toilet came about on the day past.Â
In video photos from the sanatorium at the day of the altercation, February 7, Nex tells a police officer that the teenager and a chum workforce had been the topic of ridicule over the best way they dressed. Benedict, who most popular they/them pronouns, claims that during the toilet the scholars stated “one thing like: Why do they chortle like that?” regarding Nex and pals.
“And so I went up there and I poured water on them, after which all 3 of them got here at me,” the teenager tells the officer from a sanatorium mattress.
“They got here at me. They grabbed on my hair. I grabbed onto them. I threw one in every of them right into a paper towel dispenser, after which they were given my legs out from beneath me and were given me at the flooring,” the teenager says within the video, in step with the Related Press.Â
The scholars allegedly beat the teenager to the purpose of blacking out.Â
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Tomorrow, paramedics spoke back to a 911 name on the Benedict circle of relatives’s space and carried out CPR on an unresponsive Nex earlier than dashing her to the sanatorium, the place the teenager later died.
On Thursday, the day after Nex’s demise was once dominated a suicide, the White Area launched a observation announcing that President Biden and First Girl Jill Biden had been “heartbroken” by means of the loss.Â
“Each younger individual merits to have the basic proper and freedom to be who they’re, and really feel secure and supported in class and of their communities. Nex Benedict, a child who simply sought after to be accredited, must nonetheless be right here with us lately,” Biden stated.Â
The president known as at the country to face in harmony with nonbinary and transgender other folks and “recommit to our paintings to finish discrimination and deal with the suicide disaster impacting too many nonbinary and transgender youngsters.”
“Bullying is hurtful and harsh, and no person must face the bullying that Nex did. Oldsters and faculties will have to take experiences of bullying significantly,” Biden stated.
The Related Press contributed to this document.